Improving Lives: Partnership between the United Nations and the European Union in 2010 (United Nations Brussels)http://www.unbrussels.org/report2010/The sixth annual report reflects the partnership between the UN and the EU in humanitarian and development cooperation in 110 countries across the globe.

Preventive Diplomacy: Delivering Results: Report of the Secretary-GeneralEnglish, French, Spanish:http://undocs.org/S/2011/552Publication format - English:http://www.un.org/wcm/webdav/site/undpa/shared/undpa/pdf/SG%20Report%20on%20Preventive%20Diplomacy.pdf In the first UN report on the use of preventive diplomacy to resolve tensions and crises before they escalate, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon describes the growing importance of this practice by the United Nations and its partners, underscoring its potential to save lives and protect development gains at a low cost to the international community. The report speaks to recent advances and accomplishments in the field and proposes a forward agenda for strengthening the use of preventive diplomacy as a means of diminishing conflicts and their devastating toll. Successful preventive diplomacy is not easy, however building up the world’s collective capacities in this area is “without doubt, one of the smartest investments we can make,” the Secretary-General says in his report.

Report of the Secretary-General’s Panel of Inquiry on the 31 May 2010 Flotilla Incident (September 2011)http://www.un.org/News/dh/infocus/middle_east/Gaza_Flotilla_Panel_Report.pdfOn 2 September Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon received the report of the independent panel of inquiry examining the May 2010 incident involving a flotilla headed for Gaza which found that Israel’s interception of the vessels was “excessive and unreasonable,” while the flotilla acted “recklessly” in attempting to breach the naval blockade. The four-member panel, headed by Geoffrey Palmer, the former New Zealand prime minister, was not designed to determine individual criminal responsibility. Rather, it was tasked with making findings about the facts, circumstances and context of the 31 May incident, in which a convoy of humanitarian aid ships bound for Gaza after departing Turkey was intercepted by Israeli forces leading to the loss of life.

Economic & Social Development

Adapting work processes and working environments in retail commerce to older workers’ needs (ILO)English, French & Spanish:http://www.ilo.org/sector/Resources/publications/WCMS_163451/lang--en/index.htmThe youth population aged 30 and under is declining as that of those aged 50 and over increases. The retail commerce sector may increasingly need to draw its workers from the expanding population segment of the older age group. The report discusses good practices in training, development and promotion; flexible working practices; ergonomics and job design.

Boys and Girls in the Life Cycle: Sex-disaggregated data on a selection of well-being indicators, from early childhood to young adulthood (UNICEF)http://www.unicef.org/media/files/Gender_hi_res.pdfThis report is the most comprehensive compilation to date of sex-disaggregated statistics on children and young people in the developing world. Data from the report suggests that gender disparities are relatively small in children’s early years of life among the indicators examined – education, health, nutrition and protection.

Climate Change Starter’s Guidebook (UNESCO / UNEP / WHO)http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002111/211136E.pdfThe aim of this guide is to serve as a starting point for mainstreaming climate change education into curricula lesson plans and programs. It provides an introduction and overview for education planners and practitioners on the wide range of issues relating to climate change and climate change education, including causes, impacts, mitigation and adaptation strategies, as well as some broad political and economic principals.

Making Globalization Socially Sustainable (ILO / WTO)http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/---publ/documents/publication/wcms_144904.pdfThis ILO-WTO co-publication, launched on 20 September 2011, underlines globalization's potential to stimulate productivity and growth but highlights the importance of pursuing trade, employment and social policies together in order to harness this potential. The book contains contributions from leading academic experts who analyse the various channels through which globalization affects jobs and wages.

WorldRiskReport 2011 (UNU-EHS)http://www.ehs.unu.edu/article/read/worldriskreport-2011Earthquakes, floods, droughts, storms: disasters seem to occur unexpectedly and with unimaginable force. But why do some countries better succeed than others to cope with extreme natural events? The WorldRiskReport 2011 helps to evaluate the vulnerability of societies to natural hazards. Using world maps to visualize, it shows on the one hand where the probability of a natural hazard to occur is particularly high; on the other hand it is shown in which countries the population can cope with these events especially good or bad. The central element of the WorldRiskReport, the concept of the WorldRiskIndex, was developed by the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) in Bonn/Germany, in cooperation with the Alliance Development Works and its partners.

Human Rights

Human Rights: a Media Guide to the new UN independent experts and mandates (2011)http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=11343&;LangID=EThis year the United Nations Human Rights Council has created new monitoring and reporting mechanisms on the situation of human rights in Iran, the freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, and discrimination against women in law and in practice. It has also appointed new independent experts for existing mandates.What are the new mechanisms? Who are the new independent experts? What is their role? And how can you contact them? Check out the website.

Let's Fight Racism Campaignhttp://www.un.org/en/letsfightracism/The campaign is a partnership between DPI and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and focuses on the message that each of us can play a part in combating racism and xenophobia in our own communities.

Report of the High Commissioner on OHCHR’s visit to Yemen (A/HRC/18/21, Advanced Unedited Version)http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/YE/YemenAssessmentMissionReport.pdfA report published on 13 September 2011 by a UN human rights assessment mission to Yemen calls for immediate action to protect civilians, respect the right to peaceful demonstration and to address the “deteriorating humanitarian situation” in the country. The report by the UN human rights office also stresses the need for “international, independent and impartial investigations” into allegations of human rights abuses related to the peaceful protest movement in Yemen since the beginning of this year. A delegation from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights visited Aden, Sana’a and Ta’izz between 28 June and 6 July this year. The team met many key officials, including the Vice-President, leaders of political parties and members of Parliament as well as NGO representatives, lawyers, journalists, doctors, human rights defenders, victims of violations and their relatives.

Report of the Special Rapporteur on the adverse effects of the movement and dumping of toxic and dangerous products and wastes on the enjoyment of human rights, Calin Georgescu (A/HRC/18/31)English, French & Spanish:http://undocs.org/A/HRC/18/31A new report by the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and toxic waste, Calin Georgescu, says the international community has to date paid little attention to the growing problem of medical waste around the world, despite the threat it poses to millions of people and the environment. “Some 20 to 25 per cent of the total waste generated by health-care establishments is regarded as hazardous and may create a variety of health and environmental risks if not managed and disposed of in an appropriate manner,” warns the independent expert designated by the UN Human Rights Council to report on the adverse effects of the movement and dumping of toxic and dangerous products and wastes on the enjoyment of human rights.

Report on UNCTAD assistance to the Palestinian people: Developments in the economy of the occupied Palestinian territory (UNCTAD)English, French & Spanish:http://www.unctad.org/Templates/webflyer.asp?docid=15562&;intItemID=3492&lang=1The economy of the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) grew by 9.3 per cent last year, but that expansion was not enough to reduce the area’s 30 per cent unemployment rate.

International Law

“The Arrest of Ratko Mladić and Its Impact on International Justice and Prevention of Genocide and Other International Crimes”http://www.un.org/en/holocaustremembrance/docs/paper17.shtmlThis is the title of a new discussion paper launched by The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme as part of its series. The paper was written by Juan Méndez, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and former Special Advisor on Crime Prevention to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. The paper encourages students to explore what lessons can be learned from the arrest and prosecution of Ratko Mladić. All papers in the Discussion Papers series are drafted by prominent scholars for university-level students, and are edited by the UN’s Holocaust Programme.

TRACK - Tools and Resources for Anti-Corruption Knowledge (UNODC)http://track.unodc.org/UNODC has launched a Web-based anti-corruption portal known as TRACK (Tools and Resources for Anti-Corruption Knowledge). The portal features the United Nations Convention against Corruption legal library, providing a unique gateway to an electronic database of Convention-related legislation and jurisprudence from over 175 States, systematized in accordance with the Convention's requirements. The TRACK portal brings together legal and non-legal knowledge relating to anti-corruption and asset recovery, enabling Member States, the anti-corruption community and the general public to access that information in a central location. Information in the Legal Library is searchable by country, by article of the Convention and such other criteria as legal systems and levels of human development. An anti-corruption learning platform is also incorporated, providing a common space in which analytical tools generated by partner organizations can be searched and accessed by users worldwide.

The Absence: Historic Legacy of the Survivors of the Holocaust. A documentary film for present and future generations. The complete history of the Holocaust related by twelve survivors, narrated historical contexts of why it came to be and how the final solution was implemented, relevant archive footage, recreated scenes and a message to all humankind.DVD. 60 min. Spanish with English subtitles.

Yearbook of the International Law Commission 2004, Volume I: Summary records of the meetings of the fifty-sixth session, 3 May-4 June and 5 July-6 August 2004.United Nations. New York and Geneva. 2011. xxi, 242 p. (A/CN.4/SER.A/2004 Sales No. E.10.V.2. ISBN 978-92-1-133680-.Online version: http://untreaty.un.org/ilc/publications/yearbooks/2004.htm

Social Media

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